The expert archer-like precision of Newcastle United's transfer activity over the past two years has been a testament to the diligence and meticulous process in crafting success under the new Saudi owners after many years of inferiority.
Eddie Howe has been tremendous in the managerial role and really does deserve all the plaudits, but technical director Dan Ashworth has been equally important in devising a transfer strategy fit for lasting prosperity, and it seems to be paying off handsomely right now.
Player
Figure (via Football Transfers)
Alexander Isak
£63m
Sandro Tonali
£55m
Anthony Gordon
£45m
Bruno Guimaraes
£42m
Tino Livramento
£40m
So far, the most lucrative acquisitions have either hit the mark emphatically or tantalised such promise that will provide them with a starring role at St. James' Park for many years to come.
The former owner, Mike Ashley, oversaw a steady decline with his pernicious hold on the prestigious Premier League club, with misfires and poor additions embedded in the club for many years, resulting in two relegations and only one campaign in Europe since launching his takeover bid in 2007.
One player who was pursued but ultimately not signed back in 2014 was Alexandre Lacazette, who would have been the perfect fit to lead the line for the years preceding the PIF takeover, perhaps providing such a goal threat that relegation would have been avoided.
Were Newcastle interested in Alexandre Lacazette?
In 2014, Newcastle were indeed interested in signing the French striker while he plied his trade in his homeland for Lyon, but he dispelled rumours of a move to Tyneside by signing a new contract with the Ligue 1 side.
Three years later, he would join Premier League rivals Arsenal in a club-record £46.5m transfer, surpassing the previous record deal by the Emirates Stadium side for Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid.
But more on that later; the Magpies needed a striker and ultimately settled for Emmanuel Riviere and Siem De Jong to bolster the offensive ranks, moves that… didn't quite work out as hoped.
Lacazette had been enjoying considerable success for Les Gones, posting 22 goals and eight assists across all competitions during the 2013/14 campaign, and while Newcastle had reached the Europa League quarter-finals in 2013, the club's direction was not headed to a destination Lacazette was enticed by.
He would continue to rise and the Toon actually rekindled their intrigue in the 5 foot 8 talisman, with ESPN reporting in January 2016 that Newcastle were looking to complete a move and had even offered £18m for his services, though sources close to the club revealed that this was not the case.
There is a pretty compelling case that had he been successfully signed either in 2014 or 2016, Newcastle's relegation from the Premier League in the 2015/16 campaign would have been avoided.
Rafa Benitez was appointed in March as Steve McClaren's successor but the distinguished Spaniard arrived too late, losing just three of his ten matches at the helm before the plummet into the second tier but ultimately finding survival was too tall an order.
Finishing only two points behind heated rivals Sunderland, Newcastle were a whisker away from preserving their top-flight status and might've done so had a "goal machine" such as Lacazette been added to the fold, as he has now been dubbed by former Gunners teammate Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
How good is Alexandre Lacazette?
Lacazette enjoyed success with Arsenal, no doubt, scoring 71 goals and supplying 36 assists across 201 appearances before moving back to France to re-join Lyon on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract with the Premier League side.
With his best individual campaign coming in 2018/19, scoring 19 goals and providing 13 assists, the 32-year-old was undoubtedly impressive and left England with an FA Cup trophy and Community Shield to his name.
In fairness, his final season with Arsenal was easily his worst, scoring only four times in the Premier League, but he proved himself as a reliable goalscorer during his time at the club and earned praise for "bringing the fire" by former teammate Albert Sambi Lokonga.
At present, as per FBref, the £90k-per-week striker ranks among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 15% for shot-creating actions, the top 16% for passes attempted, the top 17% for progressive passes, the top 15% for tackles and the top 17% for interceptions per 90.
This illustrates the immense success he has across the different departments of the field, thriving with his cutting-edge but equally integral in his build-up play and defensive contribution.
Such metrics are built on his remarkable goalscoring feats during his first campaign back in his homeland, scoring 31 goals across all competitions – including 27 strikes in the top-flight.
It was an astonishing year, with only Paris Saint-Germain sensation Kylian Mbappe outscoring him in Ligue 1, ahead of the likes of one Lionel Messi, who plundered 16 goals and assists apiece across his final campaign with PSG.
Such success led AS Monaco player Chrislain Matsima to gush over his qualities, saying: "He is a great striker. Everyone agrees with that. He’s proven it again this season by carrying Lyon on his shoulders. It’s always exciting to play against this kind of player. It will be a great challenge for me and the rest of the team to stop him from shining."
The regularity of his clinical efforts will have stung those affiliated with Newcastle, who could have made good use of such qualities and provided the staunch supporters with a bit more to cheer about in the years preceding the affluent, direction-changing takeover.
Howe has steered the club toward success unseen for a long time at present, and any concerns over failed deals to sign players such as Lacazette are now dead and buried, especially with Alexander Isak, who has scored five times this season already, leading the line.
But regardless, this would have been a really good deal to have gotten over the line, potentially preventing years of hurt.
